Golf shaft



Mar. 27, 1923. 1,450,091,

A. E. LARD.

GOLF SHAFT.

FILED DEC. 14, 1922.

Patented Mar. 27, 1923..

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLAN E. LAND, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE METALLIC SHAFT COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A'CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GOLF SHAFT.

Application filed December 14, 1922. Serial No. 606,981.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALLAN E. LARD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have ini vented certain new and useful Improvements in Golf Shafts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to shafts for golf clubs and the main object of the invention is to produce a strong, durable, inexpensive metallic shaft that will duplicate the torsion, flexibility, weight, feel? and bal- 'ance of a first class hickory shaft. The scarcity of first class hickory has rendered a steel substitute an imperative necessity. Steel golf shafts as commonly made in the form of a plain tapered tubelack the feel and torsion of. hickory, and it is conceded by the masters and students of the game that this torsional element is a fundamental necessity with respect to both the pleasure and execution of acorrect golf stroke. Lack of torsion likewise decreases the driving power of the shaft.

Stated in general terms, the shaft which formsthe basis of the present invention may be said to comprise a tapered tube formed from thin sheethigh carbon steel, the tube having a groove, or series of grooves, ex-

tending longitudinally thereof, said groove or grooves causing the shaft to torsion under stress of the shot.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein I Fig. 1 is aperspective view, in sections, of a finished shaft, broken away in part to more clearly illustrate the construction. The head'and leather grip are only partially shown;

Fig. 2 a similar View showing the stepped overlap and lockin .me ans of a partially formed tapering ,tu e;

Fig. 3 a perspective view of a punched strip of copper alloy or other suitable material which is placed between the overlapping surfaces of the tube, and which is employe'd, as hereinafter mentioned, to produce a strong, and'ffiexible nnion' between the parts; 4

Fig. 4 isa like view illustrating a. modified form of the" openings punched in such strip; Fig. 5 a perspective view, broken away 1n sections, showing securing-the overlap,"

- shaft with one groove, the edges of said "and extend up into the' slots or openings the progressive stages of;

i y upon jthe'depressed portion 2, theupturned Fig, 6 is a sectional view on the line VIVI of Fig. 5, of a portion of the shaft, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 7 a transverse sectional view of the completed shaft, the line of section being adjacentthe upper end; .1

Fig. 8 a like view at the lower end of the shaft;

. Fig. '9 a sectional elevation of the upper end of the shaft, illustrating filler pieces in the upper ends of the grooves, employed to prevent lateral movement in the circumferential segments when the stress, incident to use, is applied to the handle;

Fig. 10 a perspective view of a slightly modified form of locking means formed in the surface of the overlap;

Fig. 11 a perspective view of a portion of .the upper end of a modified form of shaft wherein the grip portion of the shaft is formed as an integral section of the shaft; and

Fig. 12 a transverse sectional view of a groove having been brought together in cylindrical forming dies.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, 1 denotes the body of the shaft which is formed from a sheet of high carbon steel approximately .012" in thickness. The sheet is so cut that, when bent to form,- it will produce a tube gradually tapering from its upper to its lower end. -Along one edge there is formed a step ordepressed section 2, from the outer edges of which there extends a series of lugs or fingers 3, preferably spaced about one inch apart, and adapted, when bent upwardly, to extend through openings 4 formed 1n a Nery'thin copper alloy strip 5, and through openings 6.formed adjacent the outer edge of the tubular body, said openings being so punched as to produce a taper and thereby lock the upset fingers.- A'stri p, such as shown in Fig. 4, will, however, be preferably employed in place of that shown in Fig. 3, the openings in the strip being made by a punching operation which produces flanged edges or tube-like projections 4? which surround the fingers 3 ios 6 when the parts are assembled, thus placing a thin layer of copper alloy between the fingers and the walls of the openings. In assembling, the copper alloy strip is placed as shown in the lower ortion of Fig. 5, thus drawing the parts '0 ose together and in perfect alinement. It will now be noted thata layer of copper alloy is interposed between all steel surfaces, thus insuring the best possible braze. Arnandrel is now inserted in the tube and the same is subjectedto the compression of the forming dies,

. thereby bringing the various elements into the closest possible contact and securing them in this relation by the upsetting and clinching of the ends of the fingers 3. A very close contact and a very neat fit are essential to a perfectly-brazed union. The parts prior to assembling, should be thoroughly cleaned to furtheninsure a sound raze.

The tubular member when thus formed is brazed in a hydrogen or non-oxidizing atmosphere. As this process of joining two pieces of steel having copper interposed between their surfaces is oldand well known, a detailed description is not deemed necessary. Afterthe brazing operation the fingers are ground ofi flush, when it Wlll be found; that the upsetting has formedwe'dgeshaped locking members out of the short stem or base of the fingers, thus forming, in conjunction with the braze, a tubular member of great strength. k

The diameter of the tapered tubular member thus produced is approximately .850" at upper and .640. at lower end and the length is about 37". It is then sub ected to the action of a plurality of dies which simultaneously form a plurality of grooves extendin preferab y equally spaced about the axis thereof. Three grooves will referably be longitudinally of the shaft and end to a somewhat lesser depth at the lower end. Thus, as will be seen upon reference to Figs. .7 and 8, the grooves, while being deeper at the upper end of the shaft will not so closely approach each other-at their rounded bottoms aS they do at the lower end of the shaft, as depicted in Fig. 8.

' These grooves cause theshaft to torsion when the club head impacts with the ball and a very perceptible torsion is even noticeable when the head is twister by hand. The grooves add greatly the tubular member, and when three are formed this member is reduced from the diameters given above to approximately the following dimensions for the grooved body of the shaft, viz :1}%" at upper and 5%" at 1 lower end. A greater or less number of grooves can, of course, be employed,-but ll prefer three because that number brings the complete shaft, including the handle, within the required weight (approximately 5% oz and makes it equally flexible'on all sides. If less than three grooves are employed the flexure is not uniform, and if more than three are present the shaft will be overweight as the presence of more grooves will necessitate theuse of a tube of larger initial diameter. Sheet 'material thinner than .012 developes weakness and too much flexibility, hence the weightin such larger tube, to accommodate,the production of four or more grooves, can not be successfully reduced by reducing the thickness of the sheet metal; Correct weight,

, proper and uniform flexu're in all directions,

are found in first claiss hickory shafts, and it is the object of this invention to exactly reproduce in steel,'this class of hickory shaft.

In the form of shaft shown in Fig. 1, which is the preferred form, the upper portion for a length of .'about;6 or 7 inches-is. formed of a separate member.. 9.- This member, which 1 term a'i' h andl'e ,is' formed of a separate piece of round tubing, without grooves, but having, preferably, the same locked overlap and joined in the same manner as the body of the shaft. The lower end of the handle 9 will be preferably given a slightly outward taper towardits lower end, whr e the upper end of .the shaft will be given a slightly inward ti Per, as best shown in Figs- 1 and 9, in order that the parts may be readily assembled and a tight driving fit eflected as the handle is driven home,

the seam vin the handle registering with a groove in the shaft. The contacting surfaces will be'shellaced and pinned. In order to secure thev outer segments of the shaft against lateral movement at the extreme end, under stress applied to the handle, I provide a small filler piece, say of aluminum, as indicated at 10, Fig. 9, said filler piece being driven into each of the'grooves at the upper end.

A suitable filler may be placed within the grooves and dressed ofl, as, indicated at 11, Flg. 1. In this instance it is a cotton or leather string which is forced into the grooves and anchored by a. suitable waterproof adhesive with which it is covered prior to its being pressed into the rooves.

In Fig. 10 is shown a, slig t modification of the form of i-nterlock betweenthe overlap prior to brazing. In this instance, instead of having fingers extendin outwardly from the sheet from 111611 the tlfiie is formed, ears 12 are struck up from the depressed edge of the sheet.

In Fig. 11 a further modification is shown, wherein instead of employing a separate member, as 9, to produce the handle, the

blank from which the shaft is formed, is

made longer so that the handle section, denoted by 13, is formed as an integral portion of. the shaft." The grooves begin to decrease 'in depth about 10 inches from the upper end and fade. away to nothing adjacent the end heat treatment. It is a verv difiicult and expensive operation to straighten high carbon, thin walled shafts that have become badly warped or distorted in the quenching, that is, straighten them without prohibitive loss a in breakage and impairment to the structure of thesteelfi- .It is understood that the degree or amount of torsion is governed or regulated by the .depth and width of the grooves, the deeper and narrower the gro ves,.the more torsion the shaft will devel In order to obtain the required torsion it is necessary to make [the grooves quite deep, as will .be readily seen by reference to Figs. 7 and 8. In theshafts which I have made and actually played golf with, I preferably formed the grooves, as above mentioned, somewhat deeper at the upper end that at the lower, but insofar as the generic invention is concerlned this is not deemed absolutely essentia. V

In Fig. 12 a sligh modification is shown,

I which while not advantageous for'reasons which will be' apparent, is illustrated to .bring out the scope of the present invention.

In sai'd figure the tube is shown in cross section and is'provided with but a single groove which extends nearly across the diameter of the tube.) The outer "edges of the groove, after'it isfqinied in the cylindrical tubular member,.will1be brought together in a cylindrical f rming die. This cylindrical form-1' ing die can, of course, beem'ployed to close a pluralityjo; grooves. I

Under the various forms of .the shaft as shown it is to be noted that, there are no openings or perforations which might lead to'initial fracture. The body of the'shaft is of substantially the same thickness throughout, with the possible exception of the overlap seam portion, which is "less than in width.

In Fig. "1* .I have shown a section of a golf.

head denoted by 14, which is secured to the lower end of the shaft, suitable filling material 15 being placed in the grooves at the lower end of the shaft, and about said lower end a strip of leather or other suitable material, as 16, which will cause proper adheren ce between the shaft and the head of the club, will be employed as set forth in my Patent N 0. 1,257,084, dated February 19, 1918. A portion of a grip surface, as 17, is also indicated in this figure.

It is to be understood that the term wall as employed in the annexed claims, is intended to and includes the walls. of the groove or grooves and that portion or portions of the body intermediate said groowe or grooves.

What is claimed is,-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a

golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube having a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally thereof, the wall of the body of the shaft being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube, having at least one groove extending longitudinally thereof, the wall of the body of the shaft being substantially the same thickness throughout its length.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube produced from sheet metal, the edges whereof are interlocked and brazed, the wall of the body of the shaft being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length and having'a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally. thereof.

4;. As a new article of manufacture, a

golf shaft formed as a seamless tapering metallic tube having a plurality of equally spaced grooves extending longitudinally thereof, the wall of the body of the shaft Being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length and presenting an unbroken surface.

5. As a new' article of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube, having an overlapped seam, said tube having a plurality of equally spacedgrooves extending longitudinally, thereof to permit of torsioning of the shaft under stress, the wall of the body of the shaft being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube of high carbon steel, the walls w eof throughout the entire bod ofthe shaft ave a'thickness of substantial y .012", the aft likewise .having at least one groove extending longitudinally thereof to permit torsioning of the shaft.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a

A throu bout the .entire bod of the shaft have a thic ess of substantia y .012", the shaft likewise havin a plurality of equally spaced grooves exten 'ng' lon itudinally thereof to permit to-rsioning of 't e shaft.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a'

golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube having a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally thereof, the grooves at the upper larger portion of the shaft being tube having a plurality of equally spaceddeeper than they are at the lower end of the shaft.

9. As a newarticle of manufacture, a golf sha-ft formed as a tapering metallic grooves extendin to permit the sha longitudinally thereof to torsion, the grooves being deepest at the u per end of the shaft l and becoming gradua shallower toward the lower'end of the shaft.

10. As a new article. of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metalhc tube, having three grooves extending longitudinally thereof and equi-distantly space about the axis of the shaft.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a-. golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube havin three grooves extending longitudinally t ereof and equi-distantly spaced about the axis-of the shaft, 'saidgrooves I extending longitudinally thereof.

13, In combination with a shaft'formed of a relatively thin walled metallic: tube, Said ,tllbe vi g groovesextendin longitudinally thereof, and the upper en of the tube being slightly tapered a: tubular metal- .lic handle fitting over such tapered end, the

lower end of the handle being reversely tapered to make a close fit with the upper end of the shaft, and filler pieces fitting within the grooves in the upper end of the shaft to prevent lateral movement thereof. 14. As a new article of manufacture, a golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube having an overlapped seam, said tubehaving a plurality of eflually spaced grooves extending longitudina y thereof to permit the shaft to torsion, the wall of the body of I the shaft being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length.

15. As a new article of manufacture, a

golf shaft formed as' a tapering lapped jointed metallictube of high carbon steel, the walls whereof, throughout the body of the shaft, have a thickness of substantially .012", the shaft likewise having a pluralityof equally; spaced grooves extending longitudinally thereof to. permit the shaft to torsion.

16. As a new article of manufacture, golf shaft formed as a tapering metallic tube havingaplurality' of grooves'extending longitudinally thereof, the grooves at the upper larger portion of the shaft'bein g' deeper than they are at thelower end' ofthe shaft, the grooves being of suflicient (lfipgl to permit a noticeable torsion in the s a e '17. As'a new article of manufacture, a a

golf shaft formed asa tapering metallic tube produced from sheet metal, thev edges whereof are-:overlapped, a sheet ofcopper alloy being inte ping portions, sald edges being interlocked and brazed, said shaft having at least one groove extending longitudinally thereof throughoutits length and of sufiicient depth to e'rmit the shaft to torsion under impact.

n testimony-whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALLAN E. LAB-D.

rpose/d between the overlap- 

